Stevesaid,

“but the Cromwellian regime wasn’t exactly a great advertisement for a Republic.”

Cromwell was a huge advance on what went before. It was the springboard for the industrial revolution, the revolutions in Europe and the ‘enlightenment’. Not a bad fucking legacy. Better than those pathetic royals.

Enlightenment – Why/how? I thought I’d look up the Royal Society, and found that it was founded soon after the Restoration, and also discovered that its more informal precursor was attacked by the Protectorate.

“The London group continued to meet at Gresham College, primarily after lectures hosted by Christopher Wren. The membership expanded at this time, growing to include Lord Brouncker and Timothy Clarke.[5] It was forced to disband in 1658 during the English Protectorate following soldiers invading their rooms; after the English Restoration, they returned to meeting at Gresham College.[6] It is widely held that these groups were the inspiration for the foundation of the Royal Society.[4]”